This town hall concept was proposed by the 2013 Ad Hoc Task Force (AHTF) on Election Oversight and approved by the Board. The AHTF wanted to develop a venue that members could use to learn more about the candidates. Many members have said that they do not vote in elections because they do not know the candidates or their views on issues important to dermatology. This new virtual town hall addresses this need and provides the opportunity for any member to submit questions via email that the candidates can answer.

Watch this video to see why it's important to weigh in on the 2014 AAD election.

How it works

The virtual town hall opened on Feb. 26 and is easy to use. Members simply email their questions to candidates@aad.org.

The questions will be posted to the town hall Web page, with the submitting member’s name. All candidates have the opportunity to respond; however, they are not obligated to do so. The questions and candidate responses will be available on the town hall Web page for members to reference throughout the election cycle.

Dermatology is facing many challenges in the year ahead, and this is your opportunity to ask questions about the tough issues, such as the narrowing of provider networks, physician payment reform, changing CME requirements, or other topics that will help provide you with the insight you need to make informed decisions when voting.

Virtual town hall rules

The Academy has established the virtual town hall to enable members to submit questions to the 2014 AAD election candidates. Should the chair of the Ad Hoc Task Force on Election Oversight consider a question to be duplicative, inflammatory, offensive, or otherwise inappropriate in nature, it will be forwarded to the Ad Hoc Task Force on Election Oversight for evaluation. The Ad Hoc Task Force will have the authority to refuse to post or consolidate question(s).

If a question is submitted to an individual candidate, the candidate should forward the question to candidates@aad.org.

Just vote

I encourage all members to take advantage of the town hall to gain a greater insight into what the candidates are thinking and how they will represent the Academy if elected into office. I hope you will take advantage of this opportunity to get to know the candidates before the election opens on Saturday, March 22. Vote while you’re at the meeting or when you return to your home or office, but in the words of my colleague C. William Hanke, MD, “For Pete’s sake, just vote!”

Dr. Garner is a board-certified dermatologist in private practice in Garland, Texas, and a clinical professor at UT Southwestern Medical School. She serves as vice president of the AAD and is chair of the Ad Hoc Task Force on Perceptions of Dermatology. She is also a member of the Ad Hoc Task Force on Office-Based Surgery and Ad Hoc Task Force on Teledermatology.